Double-ended connector for terminal board



April 13, 1965 H. w. BATCHELLER 3,173,672

DOUBLE-ENDED CQNNECTOR FOR TERMINAL BQARD Filed Oct. 26. 1960 INVENTOR. HUGH W. BATCHELLER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,178,672 DOUBLE-ENDED CONNECTOR FOR TERMINAL BOARD Hugh W. Batcheller, Newton Highlands, Mass. Kent Mfg. Corp., 188 Needham St., Newton Upper Falls, Mass.

) Filed Oct. 26, 1960, Ser. No. 65,150

2 Claims. (Cl. 339-198) This invention relates to a connector board through which extend a large number of individual connector elements, preferably the male elements of a male-and-female type of electric connector. Each individual connector element comprises essentially two tongues projecting respectively from opposite sides of the board so that two wires each having on an end thereof a connector element complemental to such tongues can be quickly connected together electrically by pushing their complemental connector elements into engagement with the tongues of one of the individual connector elements mounted on and extending through the board.

Boards of the type to which the invention relates are used in broadcasting equipment for radio or television which includes many circuits which may have to be altere/d quickly. It is also necessary at times to short-circuit some of the wires. For this purpose a novel connector member is employed which includes not only a connector element complemental to any of the elements on the board but also has a socket to receive the end of another wire.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof, and to the drawing, of which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a board embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of a fragment of the board shown in FIGURE 1, together with a connector element before it is mounted on the board;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of said element after it has been mounted on the board;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the board and one of the connector elements thereon;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of one of the complemental connector members attachable to an element on the board; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of complemental connector member.

A connector unit comprising a connector board 10, a back board 12, and metal pieces 14 and 16 to hold the boards in assembled relation is illustrated in FIGURE 1. This unit may be mounted in any convenient location by brackets (not shown). The board is of insulation and is pierced with a large number of slots 20 arranged in rows and columns which are identified by suitable numbers or letters. The axes of the rows and columns are preferably but not necessarily at right angles to each other. The slots 20 are preferably parallel to one another and each makes an angle of 45 with the axes of the rows and columns. This arrangement provides maximum spacing between a given number of slots within a given area.

In each slot 20 is mounted a double-ended connector member 22. For illustrative purposes some of the slots 20 are shown empty in FIGURE 1. Each member 22 has a central body portion 24 which is plane and has a width equal to the length of one of the slots 20, the member 22 being made of metal sheet or strip stock having a thickness equal to the width of a slot 20. Projecting in opposite directions from the body portion 24 are two connector members 26, 28, at least one of which is a male member adapted to be assembled or joined with a com- 3,178,672 Patented Apr. 13, 1965 ice plemental female member preferably in the form of a shallow channel in which the male member is received. As shown in FIGURE 2, the connector members 26, 28 are both of the male type and are narrower than the mid portion 24. In the side margins of the mid portion 24 are four cuts which form ears 30, 32, 34, 36, two being at one side edge of the mid portion 24 and the other two being at the other side edge. The cars at each side edge of the mid portion 24 are spaced apart a distance equal to the thickness of the board. The cuts which form the ears are at right angles to the edges of the mid portion 24. To mount a double-ended connector member on the board 10, the end portion 26 is thrust through a slot until the ears 30, 34 are on one side of the board and the cars 32, 36 are on the other side of the board. The cars are then bent out of the plane of the mid portion 24 so that each ear has an edge bearing directly on a face of the board 10 and makes an acute angle with the plane of the mid portion 24.

The engagement of the ears with the faces of the board 10 securely locks the double-ended connector member in place, but does not deface the board. Any of the connector members can readily be dismounted from the board by bending the ears, or two of them, back into the plane of the member which can then be withdrawn from the slot.

For making connections with the connector members 26, 28, complemental connector members 40 may be provided, each of these members being in the form of a shallow channel with overhanging flanges along the sides to receive and hold one of the male members 26 or 28. The complemental member 40 is provided with a wiregripping portion 42 which may be of customary construction with two ears 44, 46 of tapering width which are to be crimped around a wire to form a ferrule as indicated in FIGURE 5.

Since in wiring television circuits it is often desirable to connect together some of the circuits by bridging conductors, a second connector member may be made integral with the complemental member 40. This second member may be any desired kind such as another female connector member 48 as shown in FIGURE 6, or a tubular socket 50 as shown in FIGURE 5. The articles illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6 are thus double-ended complemental connector members having as a mid portion the wire-gripping portion 42 from which the two connector elements 40 and 50 or 48 project in opposite directions. Bridging conductors 52 may be pieces of wire of convenient length, the ends of which can be thrust into the sockets 50 of selected complemental connector members, or may have male connector members attached to their ends if double-ended female connector members, as shown in FIGURE 6, are used. Connections between wire ends and tubular elements 50 are preferably improved by sweating the wire ends in with solder.

The back board 12 is provided with several holes 60 which are large enough to permit a wire with a complemental connector member to be thrust through. These holes help to keep the many wires which are connected to connector members on the board from becoming too tangled.

I claim:

1. A plane double-ended connector member adapted to be mounted in a slot on a mounting board, said member having a central body portion of uniform width substantially equal to the width of said slot with parallel edges and two tongues of lesser width extending in opposite directions from said central portion to serve to be joined with complemental connector members, said central portion having two slits extending inward from each side edge thereof forming ears adapted to be bent to lock the double-ended member in place on a board.

2. A plane double-ended connector member formed of sheet metal adapted to be mounted on a mounting board having a plurality of spaced slots therein, said member having a central body portion with parallel side edges, said body portion having a width equal to the width of one of said slots and adapted to be received therewithin, said body member being provided at each end with an outwardly extending tongue of lesser width to serve to be joined with complemental connector members, said central body portion having two slits extending inwardly from each side edge thereof, said slits on each side being spaced apart a distance equal to the thickness of said board and adapted to be bent to lock the connector membet in place on said mounting board.

4. References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/56 Beckman et al. 339-252 10/56 Richardson 339l76 2/57 Stolle 339-220 1/59 Engel 339-220 3/59 Gettig 339-258 2/60 Hewes et a1. 339198 10/60 Ansley 339l7 X 8/62 Kitscha 339256 X FOREIGN PATENTS 6/47 Great Britain.

' JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS J. HICKEY, Examiner. 

1. A PLANE DOUBLE-ENDED CONNECTOR MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED IN A SLOT ON A MOUNTING BOARD, SAID MEMBER HAVING A CENTRAL BODY PORTION OF UNIFORM WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF SAID SLOT WITH PARALLEL EDGES AND TWO TONGUES OF LESSER WIDTH EXTENDING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM THE CENTRAL PORTION TO SERVE TO BE JOINED WITH COMPLEMENTAL CONNECTOR MEMBERS, SAID CENTRAL PORTION HAVING TWO SLITS EXTENDING INWARD FROM EACH SIDE EDGE THEREOF FORMING EARS ADAPTED TO BE BENT TO LOCK THE DOUBLE-ENDED MEMBER IN PLACE ON A BOARD. 